GRIVA Fall Conference – Digging Up Your Ancestors: An Introduction to Using AI featuring Diana Elder, AG, AGL
October 31 @ 10:00 am – 3:45 pm EDT
GRIVA’s 2026 Fall Conference – Digging Up Your Ancestors: An Introduction to Using AI featuring Diana Elder, AGⓇ, AGLTM is happening on Saturday, October 31.
Tickets are $35 for GRIVA members and $45 for non-members.
GRIVA members must log in first before purchasing a ticket to ensure they get the member discount. Click Member Login, enter your credentials, and THEN purchase your ticket to get the member discount. The discount will be applied at checkout if you are logged in.
If you’re a GRIVA member but have not yet used the Member login and set up a password, see here for more information.
If you’re not yet a member but want to join now to take advantage of the discount, please join first, log in, and then purchase your ticket.
**Member discount will be applied at checkout if you are logged in.**
Scroll down to register online. Note: Though we use PayPal, you do not need a PayPal account. You can simply add your credit or debit card information without logging in to PayPal.
If you’d like to make a donation to GRIVA or one of our preservation or scholarship funds while you’re at it, visit https://griva.org/donate/
Or, if you want to register by mail, details are provided in the conference brochure here.
Schedule:
10:00 AM – Welcome
10:15 AM – Understanding AI in Genealogy: Foundations and Tools
Artificial intelligence—AI—learn how it works. Explore AI assistants like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini. See what each one does best. Learn how to create effective AI questions, evaluate the answers to determine the best results.
11:30 AM – Break
11:45 AM – AI in Genealogical Research: A Practical Approach
Using case studies and hands-on examples, see how AI can assist with research tasks, timelines and source citations, logging research, and preparing reports. See AI tools in action and learn what they excel at (and where they fall short).
1:00 PM – Lunch
1:30 PM – From Complex to Clear: Transform Court Records with AI Tools
Using AI-powered full-text search you can locate relevant extensive court files. Explore methods for organizing the data from multiple courts into clear, analyzable formats using AI tools.
2:30 PM – Break & Door Prize Announcements
2:45 PM – Finding That Elusive Southern Ancestor
Research in the United States South presents many difficulties: burned counties, poor recordkeeping, frequent migration, and more. Explore ways to overcome these obstacles and discover your Southern roots.
Diana Elder, AGⓇ, AGL™, is a professional genealogist accredited in the Gulf South region and serves on the advisory board for The International Commission for the Accreditation of Professional Genealogists (ICAPGen). She is the author of Research Like a Pro: A Genealogist’s Guide and co-author of Research Like a Pro with DNA, which have helped thousands of researchers strengthen their genealogical methodology.
With her daughter Nicole, Diana has built a comprehensive educational platform teaching the Research Like a Pro methodology through study groups, an interactive eCourse, and The Research Like a Pro Genealogy Podcast. She shares research strategies on Family Locket (familylocket.com), making professional-level techniques accessible to genealogists worldwide.
A sought-after speaker, Diana presents regularly at RootsTech, the National Genealogical Society Conference, and institutes, as well as genealogy societies throughout the United States and internationally.
Remember: GRIVA members need to log in to get the member discount.